Overview

Love Valley: An American Utopia

Love Valley is a small town in rural North Carolina. Its genesis in 1954 marked the fulfillment of a dream for founder Andy Barker. Barker cultivated two visions as a young manhe wanted to build a Christian community, and he wanted to be a cowboy. The result of his vision is Barker’s utopian experiment. The town boasts a saloon, general store, hitching posts, and rodeos. Yet, above all of this stands a little churchthe heart of what Barker conceived as his Christian utopia. This unique combination has led to more than forty years of philanthropic ventures, controversial events such as the Love Valley Rock Festival, stories and legends, and political ambition. Love Valley: An American Utopia captures the history of this town in narrative form while arguing that Love Valley’s founders were motivated by utopian goals.

Editorial Reviews

A religious scholar from the neighborhood tells how in 1954 Andy Barker pursued his double dream of building a Christian community and being a cowboy by founding Love Valley in rural North Carolina. The town has no cars, but a saloon, general store, wooden sidewalks, hitching posts, rodeos, and above all a Presbyterian church. It has seen philanthropic ventures, a move to another site, a rock festival, square dances, visits by dignitaries, and other events. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.